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Peter I Island Volcano - John Seach

Antarctica

68.85 S, 90.58 W
summit elevation 1640 m
Shield volcano

Peter I Island lies off the coast of Ellsworth Land, in the Bellinghausen Sea approximately 400 km northeast of Eights Coast, West-Antarctica. The Island is 19 km x 13 km, covers 154 sq km, and the volcano has a 100 m wide summit crater. At least 95% of the island is covered by permanent
ice and snow. A flat summit area indicates the presence of a summit crater.

It is the exposed part of a huge volcanic structure rising from about 4,000 m
below sea level between the South Pacific ocean floor and the upper continental rise of the Antarctic continent. Peter I is classified as an oceanic island.

The island was discovered and named by the Russian uon Bellinghausen expedition in 1821.

The Norwegian Aurora expedition visited Peter I from 23 January to 2 February 1987 under very good weather and ice conditions.

The volume of volcanic cone above the seafloor can be estimated at 2,900 cubic km. Volcanic activity of the Peter I coincides more or less completely with rift-related volcanism in Marie Byrd Land and Eights Coast.

Eruptions on the island may have occurred in the past 10,000 years which indicates the volcano is still active.